Saturday, February 20, 2010

Last Monday marked the end of basketball season for T's team. I wish I could say they ended on a high note but, a 30-something - 3 routing probably isn't a happy thing to remember. :)

However, it was a poignant lesson for both the little man and me.

On Sunday, his team was making up a game. They were going to be playing one of the weaker teams in the league, and the plan was to let Travis and the other "little guys" start and play a lot.

Then, our church service got rescheduled to the exact same time as the game.

I wish I could say our decision was a no-brainer about what to do, but that would be a lie. We prayed and agonized and rationalized, and finally decided that T. would have to miss the last season of the game that he would probably get to play in.

Sunday morning was filled with tears and sadness (and that was just from me!).

We went to church, the service was great, and T seemed okay. I fully expected to be 'relieved' because we had made the right decision. The relief never came.

I spent the rest of the day in a funk; discouraged and grouchy. T. wasn't much different. :( I had told him that when we give up something we REALLY want for Jesus, He will bless us. (To my concrete-as-a-block 8 year old, he thought that meant he was getting a surprise).

Monday came, and he had one more game. He suited up and went -- fully expecting to sit on the bench. By the middle of the 3rd quarter, his team was trailing by over 20 points, and he got to play the whole 4th quarter!

With 7 seconds left on the clock, he got fouled and had to go to the line. He missed the first shot, got the second and the time ran out.

My little boy, so discouraged the day before, got to score the last point of the season! (and as we pointed out to him, half as many points as the first string had scored)

The poignant lesson came outside of the gym. I leaned down and whispered, "Son, I am so proud of you. But, I want you to know that I was praying the whole time (I normally won't pray for him to win, etc. but that is another post) for you to make the shot, and for Jesus to help you."

He looked up at me and grinned (dang, that dimple is cute), and said, "I know mom. I was praying, too."

Looking back, I'm still not sure that B. and I made the right decision in letting him miss the Sunday game. I said that we did the wrong thing for the right reasons, and B. said we did the right thing for the wrong reasons. Someday we will know, but for now we are just trusting that God will continue to draw the little man to Him, and if it takes lessons like we learned on Sunday, so be it.